New York: Sunday Samba: Baraonda

For those of us who are still longing for ways to get into trouble on a Sunday night on the Upper East Side:
"Many people stay home on Sunday nights reading, watching TV, doing the laundry but why? Sunday night is the optimal evening to go out. Whether it was partying hard with the real Russians at Au Bar, playing bingo at Bungalow, playing Baccarat at the 78th Street spot, doing karaoke at Moomba, or having a lewd evening at Madame Paulino's 60th Street den of sin, Sundays were always fun. One of the few Sunday night haunts that is still going strong is Baraonda: the Upper East Side's wildest Italian joint. After roughly a year of not attending their interesting Sunday night of madness, I returned last night and found that it was still definitely up to par. I dined with my Puerto Rican connection at a table outside consuming a plate of truffled gnocchi with a bottle of Black Label to wash it down. We witnessed all sorts of wild individuals and beautiful damsels coming in and out of the establishment. There was drinking, dancing, and nervy illegal parking of overpriced cars. Still intact are the bouncer who has one of the strangest tipping policies I've ever encountered, the never-ending line for the bathroom, and the Brazilian hostess who may be a bitch or a darling but you have to love her nonetheless. Granted, a good deal of the crowd is a bit of the too-tanned and too blinged-out Euro and Fugazy crew but who cares, it's Sunday night and who goes to work on Monday anyway?"
+Baraonda, 1439 2nd Ave, New York +1212 288 8555.
+Same owner: Bella Blu, 967 Lexington Ave, New York +212 988 4624.
+Which is not as good as adjacent: Sette Mezzo, 969 Lexington Ave, New York +1 212 472 0400.
+Baraonda London Equivalent: The old location of Pucci Pizza, 205 King’s Road, London SW3.
+NYT: "Settling for the Upper East Side" 14 August 2005.